Space Marine 2’s combat is a rip-roaring gore fest
The original Space Marine is a cult classic, and widely considered to be one of the best adaptations of the massive Warhammer 40,000 setting. Twelve years later, players will get to step back into the massive shoes of Titus, an Ultramarine in service to the Emperor and the Imperium of Man. We played through an hourlong demo of the sci-fi hack-and-slash game, and so far, Space Marine 2 delivers on both guts and glory.
Space Marine 2 picks up years after the events of the first game, during the Era Indomitus. Titus has been through a stint of unfair punishment after a bad case of assumed heresy, and he’s finally back among the boys in blue. Unfortunately, his new mission isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The voracious Tyranids, an alien race of horrific hungry bugs, are descending on the Imperium. The Imperial Guard are outgunned and outmatched, and so the Space Marines are dispatched to clean things up.
The original Space Marine’s combat was widely loved, and Space Marine 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Titus is a massive, armored Marine who can’t jump, but he is able to pull off surprisingly agile ducks and dodges. Sometimes, I focus on fighting a few bigger bad guys instead of insectile swarms, perfecting the timing of dodges and parries so that I can dodge arcs of acid, dangerous spores, or bone scythes aimed at my skull. All the while, two AI squadmates fight by my side. (Space Marine 2 will also have a three-player co-op option at launch.)
After a string of heavy attacks on little guys or a perfect dodge in the face of a bigger beast, I can tap my mouse to have Titus pull out his bolter and land a heavy shot. If I play my cards right, I build up momentum that I can turn into a Righteous Fury buff, healing Titus and
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